IMAGE: David Tonelson
The world’s largest barbeque pit franchise saw growth during a time of widespread economic decline.
Dickey’s Barbeque Pit helped its current franchisees during the height of the COVID-19 crisis by cutting royalties by 50 per cent.
However, the F&B brand also attracted new partners with its 90-day April investment incentive for franchisees who signed up a store for the first time during the entire month of April.
“Investing in a franchise during the pandemic’s economic decline was obviously a big step,” said Roland Dickey Jr., grandson to the founder of Dickey’s Barbecue Pit and CEO of Dickey’s Capital Group. “So, we created an incentive package that would aid first-time franchisees in partnering with us amidst a challenging time. It certainly paid off.”
That payoff came in the form of not only ongoing franchisee support, but the addition of Dickey’s 100th new store to its development pipeline. New territories are now in development all over the U.S., including Detroit, Michigan; Gainesville, Florida; Oahu, Hawaii; Playa Del Rey, California; South Bend, Indiana; Worcester, Massachusetts; and Williamsburg, Virginia.
As well as slashing franchise royalty fees, Dickey’s also supported its current partners with an updated e-commerce site, that saw digital sales increase 104.6 per cent since launch. The franchise’s intranet portal, Smoke Pit, was also relaunched to streamline processes so that franchisees could focus on customer satisfaction.
“We used the time when our dining rooms were closed to streamline our online processes for our guests and franchisees,” Dickey said. “Our updated e-commerce site proved to be a huge success driving incredible sales and traffic numbers. Plus, with our latest intranet portal updates, our franchisees are working with highly efficient digital resources that support their success. Even during a pandemic, we were able to excel to new heights.”
